“What was potentially a historic and monumental event turned into a nightmare for everyone concerned…Dennis Rodman came back from North Korea in pretty rough shape emotionally. The pressure that was put on him to be a combination ‘super human’ political figure and ‘fixer’ got the better of him,” his rep, Darren Prince, said in a statement. “His drinking escalated to a level that none of us had seen before.”

During his most recent trip to the communist country, Rodman played in an exhibition game against the North Koreans and sang “Happy Birthday” to leader Kim Jong Un. Upon returning home, he apologized for insensitive comments he made a about a detained American missionary in the country.

“He is embarrassed, saddened and remorseful for the anger and hurt his words have caused,” Prince added. “People forget Dennis is just an entertainer and retired NBA star.”

“Dennis is proud to be an American citizen and his trips to North Korea have been paid by sponsors,” he concluded. “The fact remains that a basketball game was played in North Korea live in front of 14,000 people and hundreds of millions around the world viewed clips of the game.”